How and Where to Publish an eBook |
When you start doing the research on how to publish an eBook, the first thing you realize is that you need to convert your MS Word .doc into the proper eBook file format. Because, yes, most eReaders don't read MS Word docs.
Then, as you keep plodding along in your eBook conversion quest, you start to realize that there are more eBook file formats and eReader devices than flavors of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. And at least eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream is fun.
In the computer world, you've got Mac vs. PC, right? In the eBook world, you've got ePUB, PDF, DRM, Mobi, PRC, HTML, AZW, BBeB, TXT, RTF...
And if you're really looking to be freaked out and overwhelmed at the prospect of creating your own eBook, then all you have to do is look at this Wikipedia page.
Since we're less interested in giving you premature grey hair and more interested in helping your publish your eBook, we'll make this really simple for you:
Below you'll find our list of all the major online retailers for distributing your eBook. And before you jump right in to set-up accounts with each one and upload your work, you're going to need to convert your manuscript into two different eBook files:
1. First eReader file — ePUB:
Considered to be the "open industry format," ePUB is the most universal of all the eReader file formats and is generally accepted by all the major online eBook retailers, so it's going to be imperative that you spend time converting your manuscript into a good lookin' ePUB file.
The good news, whether you're a Mac or PC user, we've drawn up our official AQ Step-by-Step Guide on "How to Create an ePUB File from your MSWord .doc Manuscript".
2. Second eReader file — Kindle file format (also known as .AZW, or .PRC, or Mobi):
Yes, Amazon will tell you that you can simply upload your MS Word .doc into their Kindle Direct Publishing program and they'll crunch out a Kindle file formatted eBook for you. But the relevant word here is: crunch.
For this reason, we also encourage you to review our Create a Kindle eBook guidelines in order to produce a professional Kindle eBook (including cover art, table of contents, proper meta tags, etc.)
Once you've created your two eReader files — ePUB and Kindle — then you're ready to move on to our below list of online distribution sites.
And after all that, if you're still on the fence about e-pubbing, we encourage you to check out the following groups on AQ Connect, offering the most current and intellectual discussions on the web about these too-hot-to-handle issues:
AQ Connect's "Business of eBooks & eReaders" group, which tracks the most current news regarding eReaders, eBooks, and the changes in the publishing industry as well as the consequences for aspiring writers.
AQ Connect's E-Pubbing (a.k.a Digital Self-Publishing), in which writers are actively exploring the expanded publishing and distribution options available in this digital age.
AQ's Offical List of eBook Distribution & Marketing Websites |
MAJOR ONLINE RETAILERS:
Amazon.com Kindle Store
Amazon has dominated the eBook distribution market in such a massive way that most of NYC's publishing industry has dubbed them "The Evil Empire." No single entity threatens to take away publishing marketshare from the Major Sister Sixth Publishers like Amazon.
They also haven't won any popularity points by adopting their own proprietary eReader format that can only be read on the Kindle, or on other devices like the iPad or Blackberry through their Kindle apps.
They may be The Evil Empire, but the Kindle accounts for 50% eReader market, so Amazon's Kindle Store should be your first e-pubbing stop, but cetainly not your only stop.
Use our AQ guide for Creating a Kindle Direct Publishing account, and realize that once your work is on the Kindle Store, you're going to find it difficult to get exposure unless you're actively engaged in additional self-promotion.
Barnes & Noble's Pubit!
Barnes & Noble is the second largest retailer of eBooks after Amazon.com, so it's no surprise that their PubIt! program—which allows its users to publish and sell eBooks on BarnesandNoble.com—is gaining momentum with e-pubbing writers. Plus, their wireless NOOK eReader has grown in popularity with ePUB/non-DRM fans, usurping Sony eReader's initial glory.
Creating a NOOKbook and distributing it through BN.com is an easy-peazy process compared with the Amazon rigmarole, especially if you already have a properly formatted ePUB file of your work.
If not, BN.com claims that they will automatically convert your uploaded manuscript into ePUB format, but when you actually read the fine print, they do encourage you to come to the table with an ePUB file.
And their NOOK emulator will show you how your NOOKbook will display on both their NOOK and NOOKcolor eReader displays.
In terms of cover art, PubIt! requires your image to be .JPG or .JPEG format, between 5KB and 2MB in size, and all sides must be between 750 and 2000 pixels in length.
Smashwords
Smashwords is quickly becoming the darling website of the indie e-pubbing world. They offer an eBook publishing and distribution platform for ebook authors, publishers and readers, and they do it through multi-format, DRM-free ebooks that are readable on any e-reading device.
This kind of "open source" e-reading experience has helped to make Smashwords a popular, user-friendly website with both writers and readers. Plus, their free Smashwords Book Marketing Guide is worth a read.
They'll accept an ePUB file, and like Amazon and BN.com, it's free to publish and distribute your work through their website because they take a commission from every sale.
INDIE RETAILERS, BOOK MARKETING & COMMUNITY REVIEW WEBSITES:
GoodReads.com
A community for book lovers to find, share, review, and recommend books they are reading
FictionWise.com
Fictionwise.com is committed to providing the internet's most comprehensive collection of fiction (and yes, nonfiction too!) in the most popular eBook formats.
Scribd
Millions of documents and books at your fingertips. Upload PDF, Word, or PowerPoint docs to share them with Scribd's community of readers
FiledBy
Social networking community of authors and readers
Figment.com
Share your writing, connect with readers, discover new stories — from sci-fi to mysteries, short stories to cell phone novels
PUBSlush Press
A youthful, innovative publishing platform for aspiring authors that allows new writing talent to emerge by connecting writers directly with their readers through social media.
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